Kathleen Rhine

Doug Edema, MD

Kathleen Rhine to become St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital's COO

HOWELL, Mich. - Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen Rhine to the position of vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital.

Dr. Doug Edema, the former executive vice president and chief operating officer of St. Joe's Livingston has accepted the position of vice president, physician and ambulatory (outpatient) network for Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and will be based at the hospital campus in Ann Arbor. In his new role, Edema will be responsible for the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System physician network, SJMHS's ambulatory strategic plan and will oversee operations of the health system's ambulatory sites.

Rhine and Edema assumed these roles Friday, May 1.

Previously, Rhine held positions of vice president of operations for Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and chief operating officer of Saint Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital. She will continue in the same role at St. Joe's Saline.

“Kathleen has been with the health system for 10 years and will bring a great deal of energy, experience and dedication to the patients, staff and community,” explains Rob Casalou, president and chief executive officer, St. Joseph Mercy Hospitals. “Kathleen's recent experiences with large projects such as the East and North Towers and the new Community Health Pavilion will be a great asset to Livingston hospital as we continue to develop plans for the construction of a new hospital in the Northern Region.”

In Rhine's time with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, she has held a vital role in leading strategic efforts across the health system. Most notably, Rhine was the executive responsible for the development of the Ann Arbor campus' East Tower, a 360-bed, 11-story state-of-the-art patient tower that opened in October 2007 in Ann Arbor. Rhine is also project manager for the North Tower, a second seven-story patient tower expected to open in spring 2010.

Since assuming the role of COO at St. Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital in 2007, Kathleen has served as the project lead for the Community Health Pavilion, slated for completion in October 2009. Through this, she has been instrumental in overseeing and implementing Saline Hospital's strategic plan and strengthening services to the community. Kathleen is active in community organizations, currently serving as chair of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance. She has also chaired the Washtenaw United Way Board and served as a board member of the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum.

Dr. Edema has been with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital for 5 1/2 years and has seen the it through a number of projects including interior and exterior facility renovations, the acquisition of a 64-slice CT scanner, new imaging capabilities, as well as the introduction of remote presence technology through the use of an on site robot resulting in state of the art stroke care. Previous to his role with St. Joe's Livingston, Edema was the chief executive officer of a 100-physician, 17-site physician network in Grand Rapids.

As part of his new role, Edema will have oversight for outpatient services for the health system, which includes the St. Joseph Mercy Woodland Health Center in Brighton. In this capacity, he will remain integral and available to the Livingston County community.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital,” says Edema. “I am pleased that my new position will still allow me to be involved in this great community, while strengthening my role across the seven health system hospitals.”

Rhine is enthusiastic about her new position: “Dr. Edema has created a wonderful niche in this community and I am dedicated to picking up where he is leaving off. I'm also grateful that he will continue to be involved in helping to develop ambulatory and physician services in the region. The hospital will be entering an exciting phase over the next few years and I am looking forward to being an integral part of that process.

“The Howell, Brighton and surrounding areas are fantastic communities, and I look forward to discovering everything that Livingston County has to offer,” she concludes.